Month: July 2009

On July 21, the sun will be eclipsed at 10:35 PM EDT and the world (or at least that part of the world with the biggest population – India and China and places surrounding them) will be plunged into darkness for approximately 6 minutes. A wonder of nature, this eclipse is the longest eclipse of the 21st century.

So what does it mean when the sun disappears?

From time immemorial, earthlings have pondered this question and superstitions abound in every culture. Many cultures believed that a demon or dragon ate the sun. In Hindu mythology, the two demons Rahu and Ketu are said to “swallow” the sun during eclipses, snuffing out its life-giving light and causing food to become inedible and water undrinkable. Pregnant women are advised to stay indoors to prevent their babies from developing birth defects, while prayers, fasting and ritual bathing, particularly in holy rivers, are encouraged because temples are often closed. In ancient times, the Chinese believed that a heavenly dog or dragon devoured the sun during the eclipse. As the story goes, people would make noise to scare off the dog and rescue the sun. In the Odyssey, Homer states that, “the Sun vanished out of heaven and an evil gloom covered all things about the hour of the midday meal.”

Negative people make a living off of doomsday predictions. But the truth is that solar (as well as lunar) eclipses are natural phenomena. They usually happen twice a year although occasionally there are three of them. Often, secrets are revealed at this time or an awareness becomes apparent that sheds new light on something.

The eclipse can be either a south or north node eclipse. This particular one is at 29 degrees of Cancer meaning the Sun and Moon are together with the south node of the Moon. The south node is a place where we are addicted to an old behavior pattern, something that we run to without awareness or consciousness. The sign of Cancer is about security, nurturing, hunger, relationship with the mother, creativity, fertility, and children. The south node in Cancer is about clinging to these things to avoid whatever they’re covering up.

So wherever one has 29 degrees of Cancer in their personal horoscope will be the arena where this eclipse is operating. Those born from July 17-22, October 17-22, January 17-22, and April 17-22 are most affected but most of us will feel the eclipse as a nagging dissatisfaction with something we are involved with compulsively.

Look at your sun sign and ascendant if you know it:

Aries – creating a home and being a parent; Taurus – being heard; Gemini – making money; Cancer – doing it all yourself; Leo – hiding out in work or not working; Virgo – being a team player; Libra – getting recognition from the powers that be; Scorpio – leaving your community for foreign shores; Sagittarius – gratifying your desires; Capricorn – considering your partner more than yourself; Aquarius – working and taking care of yourself; Pisces – kids and your creativity

Since solar eclipses happen at the New Moon, they signify a time of new beginnings but you often have to proceed on faith because the light is blocked. Since eclipses come in 19 year cycles, whatever seeds you plant now will take 19 years to bear fruit.

If you think that’s a long time, consider this. The Queen Mother of the West (a Taoist goddess) was fortunate enough to have a peach tree of immortality in her garden. Blossoming only once every 3000 years, it took another 3000 years for the immortal peach to finally ripen.

According to the latest studies, Tai Chi practitioners were found to be more relaxed than yoga practitioners after one year of practice. In fact, the yoga practitioners were more stressed than when they started!

After just 2 weeks of Tai Chi class, people with osteoarthritis reported major improvements, including weight loss and better pain management.

These are some of the more interesting tidbits of information that I picked up at the International Tai Chi Symposium held in Nashville, Tennessee from July 5-11. This historic event brought together the grandmasters of the 5 major families of Tai Chi Chuan (Wu, Wu-Hao, Yang, Chen, and Sun for those who might not be aware of the fine distinctions) for the first time in a spirit of education and cultural exchange with 400 Tai Chi practitioners, teachers, students and academic and medical researchers who are committed to bringing Tai Chi into the 21st century. Given the traditional secrecy associated with the various family styles, sometimes it felt like all of the Mafia dons of New York and New Jersey were having a major pow-wow!

3 of these guys were elders (75 to mid-80’s) and the other 2 were middle-aged holders of the family lineage. Having lived and breathed Tai Chi since childhood, watching them do their forms was witnessing the fruits of years and years of practice. They were inspirational examples of the best that Chinese martial arts offer.

We listened to all the grandmasters hold forth in a keynote speech translated for the audience and then attempted to learn a 16 movement routine in each style; watched beautiful demonstrations by them, their students, and other luminaries of the world of internal arts; heard panel discussions on academic and medical research on Tai Chi; listened to new and creative applications of Tai Chi for special populations, and contemplated the future of the art with new and old Tai Chi friends.

It was a very male, China-centric event with many toasts, speeches, endless clapping and self-congratulation at such a historic moment. Women took a secondary role throughout the symposium. Master Helen Wu

Master Helen Wu

and Master Zifang Su Master Zifang Su, the two female masters, gave pre-conference seminars and most participants did not even know they were there until the last demonstration. Two of the daughters helped their fathers teach and to their credit, did an excellent job, particularly Chen Zhenglie’s daughter, a very fine Chen style practitioner. In a poignant footnote to the value of women in Chinese culture, a local Nashville charity – Annabelle’s Wish – made regular pitches for financial donations to help the orphanages in China that are primarily full of unwanted girls due to China’s family planning policy.

Master Zifang Su demonstrating self-defense applications w/ her son

One Grandmaster stated that one must understand Chinese culture in order to understand Tai Chi. A Chinese master currently living in Kansas City rebutted this with a statement that I feel is more true at this stage of Tai Chi’s development. He said the truth was that you couldn’t really understand Tai Chi unless you understand physics. Ah so! I can get behind that one.

It’s important to note that Buddhism developed differently in China than it did in Japan or Tibet. It seems reasonable that Tai Chi will also have its own developmental trajectory and develop a distinctly western (if not American) flavor since it will inevitably be influenced by what’s going on here. This will not be the classicism of the original as represented by these 5 grandmasters, but a meditational movement form that will be influenced by scientific and medical advances, the fitness industry, and all of the so-called New Age movement styles (Feldenkrais, Authentic Movement, etc.). After all, most people here although they are interested in the self-defense applications, practice Tai Chi for their health. It seems logical that Tai Chi as well as other practices from the East (yoga included) will necessarily evolve as the culture does — becoming more nurturing, less hierarchical, and less male-dominated.

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